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'Jumanji' interview: Karen Gillan reveals the turning point of her career, pays tribute to James Gunn


Karen Gillan has named James Gunn, her director on two Guardians of the Galaxy films, as the person who’s influenced her career the most so far.

Speaking to Yahoo to celebrate the home release of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (available to download digitally today), called Gunn “amazing”.

“[James Gunn] is totally inspiring to work with,” Gillan tells us, “I feel like I’ve learned so much about acting and directing from him.”

Gillan recently completed work on her directorial debut, The Party’s Just Beginning, which premiered at Glasgow Film Festival.

This image released by Sony Pictures shows Karen Gillan, from left, Jack Black, Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson in “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.” (Frank Masi/Sony Pictures via AP)
This image released by Sony Pictures shows Karen Gillan, from left, Jack Black, Kevin Hart and Dwayne Johnson in “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.” (Frank Masi/Sony Pictures via AP)

The former Doctor Who star also pays tribute to Jake Kasdan, her director on Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, describing the filmmaker who also co-wrote Solo: A Star Wars Story as “brilliant”.

Elsewhere in our exclusive new interview, which focusses on the turning points of her career so far, Gillan reveals what she spent her first big pay cheque on, how she got her big break, and the moment she realised she wanted to act.

Watch it in full above.

Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle is available on Digital Download from April 14. On 4K Ultra HD, 3D Blu-ray, Blu-ray & DVD April 30.


Synopsis: When four high-school kids discover an old video game console with a game they’ve never heard of Jumanji they are immediately drawn into the game’s jungle setting, literally becoming the avatars they chose: gamer Spencer becomes a brawny adventurer (Dwayne Johnson); football jock Fridge loses (in his words) “the top two feet of his body” and becomes an Einstein (Kevin Hart); popular girl Bethany becomes a middle-aged male professor (Jack Black); and wallflower Martha becomes a badass warrior (Karen Gillan). What they discover is that you don’t just play Jumanji… you
must survive it. To beat the game and return to the real world, they’ll have to go on the most dangerous adventure of their lives, discover what Alan Parrish left 20 years ago, and change the way they think about themselves or they’ll be stuck in the game forever…

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